Discovering a German political party that is little known to us in France, the Freie Wähler, the “free voters”, with Kai Littmann, site director of the Franco-German daily newspaper from the Upper Rhine, Eurojounalist.
On October 8, there are elections in Bavaria. And what is interesting is that we are going to see a political party which is little known in France, these are the Freie Wähler, the free voters, the French translation. Freie Wähler was an association of voters called Wähler Gruppe, and in 2009 transformed into a political party. Interview with Kai Littmann, site director of the Franco-German Upper Rhine daily, eurojournalist.eu.
franceinfo: OCan we say somewhere that the Freie Wähler, the free voters, are the peasant party, they are the local party?
Kai Littmann: Yes, it is a conservative party which is far from the extreme right, which is located in Bavaria, a bit between the conservatives of the CSU and the AFD, not at all extremist, which has its strongholds in the countryside. There is a very big difference in Bavaria between the voting behavior in large cities like Munich, Würtzburg, Regensburg etc., which are traditionally more left-wing, while the countryside in Bavaria is very radically right-wing.
And the Freie Wähler have really put themselves in a niche that works very well. They had a very good mandate because they are, for the first time, in the government of Bavaria, with the CSU.
They are in coalition at the moment with Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria?
Absolutely, they play an absolutely important role. They are exploding in the polls, and we already know today that the CSU-Freie Wähler coalition will continue after October 8.
Freie Wähler are represented in all German states, but especially in Bavaria, Brandenburg and Rhineland-Palatinate. These Freie Wähler who are in coalition today with the Bavarian CSU. Can we say that it is a buffer against the AFD?
Yes quite. The AFD, which currently ranks second among political forces nationally, is only fourth in Bavaria, where the Freie Wähler have settled into a comfortable second place, behind the CSU.
Not to mention they have two MEPs, and we are going into the year of the European elections. The interest of Freie Wähler is local, local interests. Perhaps this is what makes them successful, because they are not present in the cities?
Yes quite. It’s very interesting, because they did a mandate in Bavaria, they took care of the redesign of a playground in a village, and a bypass of another village. They really took care of the concerns of the people on the ground, especially in the countryside. They are very anchored in the agricultural world. The party’s boss, Hubert Aiwanger, is a farmer himself. So, we have the impression that these are people who know what they’re talking about, and who put their hands where it’s needed.
It’s true that often, the heads of the Freie Wähler list are farmers. And precisely, their approach is to say: “Well, if I’m not elected, I don’t care. I’m going back to my farm.”
It was a very famous phrase from Hubert Aiwanger who said: “If I’m not re-elected, well, I’ll go back to my farm and continue my work as I’ve always worked.” It gives credibility to an electorate in Bavaria, which is very rural. People have the impression that they are guys like us, and that makes them successful.
So for the moment, they are not represented in the Bundestag at the federal level, but maybe along the way?
Yes, I think so too. During the next legislative elections, the Freie Wähler risk playing a role because, precisely, they represent an alternative between the traditional parties which are considered not effective enough, too soft, and the extremist parties which are nevertheless increasingly frightening. . In Germany, with an AFD which has definitively established itself in the political landscape; and who is elected by people who are not extremists themselves. But for lack of an alternative, there are many people who vote for the AFD.
Suddenly, there are the Freie Wähler who present themselves, who are not extremists, who are pro-European, who deal with the problems of the people there, who maintain certain values in a sort of conservatism, who seek to preserve values . All of Germany watches with a certain amazement the rise of the Freie Wähler in Bavaria. And we realize everywhere in Germany that there can be alternatives between traditional parties and extremist parties. So, I think yes, the Freie Wähler correspond to the expectations of many voters.